Numerous albums from legendary rock band Pink Floyd have disappeared from Apple's iTunes store, along with other digital storefronts, following the expiration of a contract between the band and its record label.

Pink Floyd's contract with EMI covering albums post "Dark Side of the Moon" expired on June 30. Since then, some of the band's most popular albums, including "Wish You Were Here," "The Wall," and "Animals," were removed from the iTunes Music Store, as well as Amazon.com and other digital music sellers.

However, the albums -- and some individual tracks -- can still be purchased through the "Oh By the Way" studio album boxset available on iTunes, and released in 2008 by EMI. The set includes both discs of "The Wall," which can be purchased separately from the box set, but "Wish You Were Here" can only be bought as part of the $139.99 total collection.

According to Gibson Lifestyle, Pink Floyd has sold more than 36 million albums in the U.S. since 1991. Last year, physical disc sales alone were 654,000 copies.

The disappearance of the albums came about after the band won a lawsuit against EMI in March, allowing it to block the sale of individual songs on services like iTunes. A High Court in the U.K. determined that the band could "preserve the artistic integrity" of whole albums by not breaking them up into individual song sales.

Pink Floyd and EMI are no longer under contract for later albums, but earlier titles like "Dark Side of the Moon" remain under the label's control. In addition, while EMI can no longer press CDs for titles like "Wish You Were Here," the company can sell its remaining stock of physical albums.

EMI also owns the catalog for The Beatles, and it has been said the issue over single song downloads has been what has kept their tracks from being sold iTunes thus far. Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon, said earlier this month that fans should not expect the band's catalog to become available on iTunes anytime soon. "Don't hold your breath," she said.

Just for the record. I was was rised on Pink Floyd music stating from '70 back in Europe where I lived. Pink Floyd music is not about single songs, but about composition. I know that some songs sound better and one may skip to favorite parts, but someone has to be arrogant ignorant to take one song completely out of context/composition and buy it. Artist has right to prevent that. Art is not wholesale of cheap "Made in...." product. Otherwise it would not be art despite what some call art.

Having said that I own most of Pink Floyd albums and I have converted them to MP3 to listen on my iPods.

I know that some songs sound better and one may skip to favorite parts, but someone has to be arrogant ignorant to take one song completely out of context/composition and buy it.

No, that is called consumer choice. I don't care about the artists integrity at times - I'm the one enjoying it. If it was important to the artists, they should never have sold the content in that fashion.

I find it perfectly acceptable to take things out of context - people have been doing it to classical music for years.

No, that is called consumer choice. I don't care about the artists integrity at times - I'm the one enjoying it. If it was important to the artists, they should never have sold the content in that fashion.

I find it perfectly acceptable to take things out of context - people have been doing it to classical music for years.

... just bring back those albums and mark every song "Album Only." I respect their desire to limit purchases to albums. It's their art; they should be able to control its distribution. iTunes routinely has "Album Only" songs on various albums. Just make every song "Album Only."

I think this is just BS to get more $$ from album sales.
And yes, I own most of their pre-Wall albums as LP and CD and bought concert tickests in the 70s. But again, this is BS.

Price the songs at 1.29 and the albums at 7.99 and lots of people will get the whole album experience. And they buyers of sigle songs are offered the option to cheaply upgrade to the album. At least at iTunes.

(Today I bought some 20 versions of Joe Zawinul's composition "Birdland" performed by various artists. Guess how many I would have bought if I had to buy the whole album.)

You mean like Steve Jobs forcing users to buy the entire Apple Vision instead of letting people buy individual components of said vision?. Like selling OS X to any and all buyers?

Apple did that (the cloning era of the mid 90's) and it turned out that it was literally bankrupting the company - the situation is not comparable. The music industry is a different business and it's literally apples to oranges.

David Lynch films on DVDs don't come with chapters - if you wanted to skip to a section on earlier players you had to fast-forward through the entire thing. (Nowadays there are more direct navigation tools available, including sliders in software players.) So if Pink Floyd really insisted in an all-or-nothing album they should have eliminated the separate tracks altogether.

Apple did that (the cloning era of the mid 90's) and it turned out that it was literally bankrupting the company - the situation is not comparable. The music industry is a different business and it's literally apples to oranges.

Apple and oranges perhaps but the fact reamains, the OWNER of the content has the ULTIMATE say as to how it is to be sold and if they happen to make a choice you don't like it doesn't give anyone the right to just steal it instead.

Look the band could tern around and say that from this point forward all songs will be sold in blocks of 11 and sorted alphabetically. SO ifvyou want to buy Wish You Were Here you'd have to buy the other 10 tracks that fall in before and or after that title when all their tracks are sorted alphabetically* except for songs released in even years when the group of 11 are strictly in chronological order... Except in years with a total eclipse of the sun when visible from the northern hemisphere then ...

I happen to agree with most PF fans who feel their albums are only truly appreciated when they are listened to as a complete work. Having said that I also believe the owner of a work has EVERY right to dictate how it's sold. If tomorrow Absolute decided to ONLY allow case sales it has every right to.

I saw these guys in concert about a month ago in Costa Mesa at the Orange County Fair (Pacific Amphitheater). They suck at singing and their performance was not up to par.

Why does anyone care if they sell their songs or not? They are just playing the artistic bullshit game. If they have no money, they will let their representative sell anything, but they have millions in the bank, so they don't care. I don't own a single song or album of them, and I don't care.

As for the Yoko Ono insult on millions of fans, she is 77 and soon her ass will be gone too. Then her children will make the right decision. No one lives forever, but songs will outlast them all.

I saw these guys in concert about a month ago in Costa Mesa at the Orange County Fair (Pacific Amphitheater). They suck at singing and their performance was not up to par.

Why does anyone care if they sell their songs or not? They are just playing the artistic bullshit game. If they have no money, they will let their representative sell anything, but they have millions in the bank, so they don't care. I don't own a single song or album of them, and I don't care.

As for the Yoko Ono insult on millions of fans, she is 77 and soon her ass will be gone too. Then her children will make the right decision. No one lives forever, but songs will outlast them all.